Manslayer
by smaugryu
Summary: A serial killer has been terrorizing cities for the past few months, killing over twenty men, and leaving a 'calling card' next to each of their victims. This killer is slowly sweeping through Japan. What will Kenshin do when they get to Tokyo? on hiatus
1. Prologue

Okay. First things first, I do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin. However, I DO own all other original characters, unless otherwise stated. And yes, this has an original character or two in it. Deal with it. And, this is just the prologue…so it'll probably be less than a page long…Also, you will find this has a very aptly named title.

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_Haha…good job tonight…congratulatory drink…_

The girl drank the imported beer. _Not half bad…_ She sighed. _Back to work…_

As she was leaving, a man put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, missy. Care to have fun?"

She shrugged off his hand and left the building. He followed her into an alley.

"Why are you running?? Scared of me??"

"No." She stated as she turned around. "But **you** should be."

"Right. I'm just oh so scared of a little girl like you. The only thing women are good for is fun."

At this the girl's anger and annoyance with the man grew. "Is that so?" The man just laughed. The she disappeared.

"Well, remember my name. Shin'en." And the man's throat found itself disconnected from its body. "Pitiful creatures, really. So very easy to get rid of." Shin'en dipped her fingers in the man's blood, and begancreating her calling card. The police would know who did this, but nothing else.

_And the world is freed from another disgusting slime ball. The second tonight, I'm doing well. Let's see what the police do when they have a true manslayer on their hands. She smiled. Although, I'll doubt they'll realize that this manslayer literally slays men._

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yawns Okay….that was a LOT more interesting in my brain…oh well…it'll get better. And for once, I'm not doing the killing.


	2. So, will you help or not?

Okay, so…the prologue is really short. This chapter is too…hell…they all probably will be.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin. I DO own Ikari Shinri ((Original Character)) and Shin'en ((Also Original Character))

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"So…you want me to catch a murderer??"

"Uh…well…" the police chief fidgeted nervously. "Serial killer actually…but…yes…"

"Serial killer, huh? Sounds pretty fun. You can count me in." Sanosuke said, already imagining how fun the fight would be. Kenshin, however, pondered the question a bit more.

"How many victims?"

Again, the police chief fidgeted nervously. "Twenty-four…"

At this, Sano shot out of his daydream. "HOW many??"

"…Twenty-four…"

"HOW are they still loose?? They HAVE to have made a mistake somewhere by now!!"

"I don't know. This is the first murder in our jurisdiction…but Miss Ikari Shinri, over here, has been following them for awhile, and she's the one you guys will be helping…"

Kenshin looked at the girl. She didn't look too old, and definitely wasn't out of the ordinary. She had long black hair, and green eyes. She was currently dressed in a simple police officer's uniform, and had her hair tied back in ponytail.

"Do you even know anything about this serial killer??"

"Well…their name is Shin'en." Ikari answered.

"How would you know this, but not have them in jail??"

"We don't know who they are, exactly. We only know their name from the 'calling card' they leave behind, and they most likely don't use their real name."

"Calling card?"

"Yes…" Ikari took out a picture. "Shin'en writes his name in his victim's blood. If look closely, you can see that the name is actually made up of a note…but it is unreadable. The writing was smudged beyond readability. " Kenshin looked at the picture. The man in it was obviously dead, with his throat torn out, and the writing was scrawled around the body, making the whole thing seem like a sacrifice, or a warning. He shuddered and gave the picture back.

Sano looked at Ikari, seemingly for the first time. "You mean we're actually going to work with a girl??" Ikari seemed to take offense at this.

"Not if you act like that. Then you'll be sitting here bored." She said, her voice cold and vicious.

"Geez…sorry…" Sano said, unconvinced that Ikari was really going to be of much help.

Ikari rolled her eyes. "I must be on my way. I believe you can take care of the rest of this, sir." They watched her leave.

"So, Himura, will you help? We really do need it…"

"Yes…I will…"


	3. Those stupid men

Okay…third chapter in one day!! This one, I like the best…although it is just as short as the other ones….that's okay….

Disclaimer: I do NOT own RK

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_We're actually going to work with a girl?_ The phrase had been echoing through out Shin'en's head since she'd heard it. The mere knowledge, no thought, that a MAN would, had, said that…that he would actually think they were BETTER than someone they had just met, fueled her with rage. That man was DEFINENTLY on he 'Next' list. Tokyo would not be safe until he was dead. And, to make matters worse was that he was a fighter. Well…ex-fighter now, but he should still know better than to do that. Did he not find it odd that only men were killed??

Besides, he should know better than to underestimate a woman. That could be his downfall. Nay, WOULD be. His fate was sealed. She would kill him when her chance came. But, he still thought that he was better than a woman. He thought it was a JOKE when the chief of police had said Ikari was in charge of the investigation, and Shin'en couldn't stand people who did that.

Shin'en couldn't stand any man. She always saw the worst in them; the most prominent was that they thought that all women were weak merely because they were women. Although, most of the women here were weak, not all of them were. She sure wasn't, anyway. Besides, it was man's fault that the women were weak. If this were somewhere where the women fought too, then they would be as strong as the men. Nay, stronger. But, those men were all the same.

Shin'en could count how many men had fallen to her, but she couldn't remember the exact act of killing them. They had all blended together, not that it mattered. Those men didn't need to be remembered, nor did they deserve it. All she could remember is seeing that first blasted, damned man in them. She could see him in nearly every man.

Except for Himura. For some reason, he was either extremely adapt at hiding it, or simply did not posses any of the same qualities. He seemed to be completely okay. It was too bad she would have to kill him if he found out anymore about her.

But, that first blasted man… He'd been a bit too convinced that all women were weak. He'd tried to break her spirit, but she'd been quicker. His throat had met her dagger. And the rest of the men, too, had fallen to a weapon of hers. The latest to the fingernails she lovingly referred to as claws. She'd written that in her note, but some idiot had smudged her careful writing.

No matter, it was fine if no one knew about her motives. Besides, was the one thing the police needed, a motive? Hers was just too psychotic for them to even guess at. After all, they were even wrong about the gender of the killer. They thought it was a man, but how could they know that a woman was behind all of the death??

Shin'en walked through the streets, searching for the next man to be added to the pile of the damned she'd created. The next man though, she had a plan for. Fire was, even though rather messy, quite beautiful. And she was sure that it would be happy to be allowed a taste of human flesh. And a chase by the police would be quite invigorating. She would just have to make sure the man didn't live to tell the tale.

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Yeah…pretty short…but it was fun to write…so…yeah…oh, and if you feel like guessing what's gonna happen….feel free to guess…and please review…it really sucks when I see my favorite new story without any reviews….


	4. The twentyfifth victim

Okay…Thank you for the reviews!!! I must say, I really didn't expect them…I mean…my story was up for a DAY and I got three reviews by different people, 2 of which I do not believe I know. That is very awesome.

'Reviewer' person, what do you mean by my writing is based on my thoughts?? I mean…I did write based on the story that is playing in my brain…but I believe everyone does that…and I am NOT mad at you, as you may interpret this, I'm just having problems understanding what you said…and I really hope you've read this 'cause otherwise I'm blabbering to someone who not only doesn't care, but isn't here…and then I'd feel really stupid…

Another thing, the bold 'o's before and after the story is my way of making sure people realize that the author's note has ended and the story is beginning and vice versa. For some really odd reason, fanfiction won't let me have the odd squiggle things or asterisks…it's like they have some grudge against them…

Also, I would like to point out, because I just know someone will accuse me of this, that I personally have nothing against men. Well…except for the jerks that laugh at you for no reason at all…then I dislike them because they're stupid…anyway, on with the writing-ness!!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin…but I wish I did…'cause then I'd have money…

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Shin'en moved silently through the alleyways, her preferred spot for killing, looking for another man to kill. It wasn't long until she found one.

"Hey, missy…why would a delicate girl like you be doing back here?" He looked her over for a minute. "Ya know, you'll get hurt wandering around back here. Allow me to, uh, take care of you…" He grinned as he approached her.

Shin'en also smiled, as her hands went to her pockets. One withdrew the wooden stake she'd drenched with lighter fluid. The other took out a match. _Fire will claim this man…_ She struck the match on the wall, lighting it.

"What're you gonna do with that?? Think I'm a vampire or something?" He said, jokingly, as he came closer to her.

"Nope. I have other plans for your life…or lack thereof…"

"What are you-" He didn't get to finish his sentence. She lit the tip of the stake on fire, and jammed it into the soft flesh underneath his jaw. The fire would begin its work from the inside out. _A slow death befitting that of a man…_

The man had turned from her, and was running towards the actual streets, were he could get people to help him. She ran after him only long enough to slash her name into his back. Then she, too, turned and ran the other way. She had more important things to do than chase after a dieing victim.

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Ikari was practically flying through the streets, bumping into people that swore after her in her need to get to the next victim before he died. The screaming was growing louder, then stopped. She ran faster as the lack of sound from him identified itself to her. _No…don't die…we need you to find Shin'en!_

She finally reached the man, he'd fallen face first into the pavement. She looked at the writing, and realized that she'd assumed that Shin'en had done this before she had any real proof, but that was irrelevant and she pushed it to the back of her mind. She turned him over to feel the pulse on his neck, and found the ghastly wound. She put her ear to his chest to see if she could hear a heartbeat, but found none.

"Poor bastard…" She said as she stood up. She took out her camera, that she had learned to take everywhere, as Shin'en could strike anytime, and took a picture. The crime scene was always important, and she hoped that maybe if she looked at the pictures of all the crime scenes, se would find something, anything, in common. She faintly heard whistles as the rest of the police showed up.

"Shin'en got him. I was not even a minute away when he stopped screaming…so close to finding something about Shin'en that might help…"

The police wasted no time in shooing the public away from the corpse, and Ikari had bent down to look at it, hoping that she might have missed something earlier, to tell her of his cause of death. The only thing she could find was the wound under his jaw and the writing in his back, neither really could have killed him. Then the fire, which had bee content inside his head, suddenly rushed towards the air. With a sick pop, the whole head erupted in flame. Ikari jumped back and silently cursed. Anything Shin'en may have left as clues, were burning as the whole body was consumed with fire. The twenty-fifth victim of Shin'en, was burning away.

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Okay…so being burned from the inside out is most likely impossible…so, I don't care. It would be awesome if that could happen…


	5. A talk about the motives

Hum-dee-dum…2nd chapter in one day. This'll probably end soon..like…day-wise…'cause school is boring so I write this then…except at school I call it Satsujin because teachers may find it odd that one of their students has a paper titled "Manslayer Chapter 5" So…yeah…and my chapters are getting longer. I feel so happy…although now that I've said that they're going to become short again, aren't they…

And, WhiteRabbit25, don't worry about the love thing. I'm notorious for my inability to write, or even think of, love type stuff. Besides, Shin'en is much to good for Sano! And I was having many problems with the uploading chapters, that's why there're all of those typos. For some reason Fanfiction dislikes my computer. And I guess I pretty much failed to show he was being semi-sexist…you see, he assumed that she needed protecting, and he was supposed to be kind of…I don't know. He was supposed to be annoying…and I guess it's Shin'en's own personal belief that she should go out to kill the unworthy men…But thanks for your opinion…I'll try to find more plausible situations for Shin'en to kill in!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own RK…if I did Shin'en would so definitely be in it…

Oh, PS, the police think Shin'en is a guy…that's why they say 'he' when ever they refer to her…just thought you guys might like to know that!

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Ikari was looking through the folder that contained all of Shin'en's crimes in it. It was nearly bursting with all of the reports and pictures. _If we ever find Shin'en, he will be completely unable to get out of this…_ She glanced at the clock, Himura and his friends would be here soon. She'd told an officer to get them. She figured that they would need to know all of the information if they were to help. Perhaps they would find something she'd missed.

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Kenshin knocked on the door to Ikari's temporary office. "Come in." He opened the door to find many pictures littering the desk.

"These are the pictures and reports concerning all of Shin'en's killings. I figured you should see them, since you were going to help catch him. You might even find something I missed…"

Kenshin picked up the pictures first. The first one, dated the farthest back, was of a man with his throat torn open. The name written in his blood was messy, as if a shaking hand had written it, and on the other side of him was a large bloody square, as if Shin'en had written something he didn't wish to be known, _or if he had written another name and then changed his mind about it…_. The man's body was soaked with blood, and there were drips surrounding him. His shirt had been torn, most likely by whatever had destroyed his throat, and there were long gashes on his chest. The eyes of the man were what upset him the most. They were open, as if in horror, and staring blankly in front of him. His mouth was open in a never-ending silent scream. On his face were bruises and cuts, obviously from a bit of a struggle. The placement of the body, and how the walls of the alley he was in, made the scene look more secretive, as if Shin'en did not wish for it to be found to quickly.

Kenshin turned to the second picture. This victim was also a man, but a blade of some sort, possibly a katana, had sheared off his head. The writing seemed more confident here than before, and there were no mistakes in the writing. The setting still gave off a more secretive air. As he looked through the pictures, he could tell Shin'en was growing more confident. The writing was becoming surer, the setting seemed more open, the victims were even getting slower looking deaths. It was almost as if Shin'en had grown into his identity as a killer, like he had not meant to become a killer when he started.

"Well…one thing in common would be that the victims are all men…"

"Yes, I've noticed that too…but that's not entirely too uncommon. Women rarely provoke people, and usually only drunks or complete and total jerks hurt them. Men, on the other hand, provoke each other constantly. A lot of them were drunk too. At first, we thought it was merely a drunken brawl gone astray. We weren't so lucky as that…"

Kenshin nodded. That made a lot of sense. "Do you think that the killer kills people that annoy him?"

"Well…it's possible…but highly unlikely. These men didn't know each other, or at least the majority of them didn't, and very few of the people they knew, knew someone who knew another of the victims. So, the murders are completely random. Except…" She massaged her temples. "Except it couldn't be the spur of the moment murders either, those are usually careless. Shin'en is careful in his killing, and somehow gets nearly all of his victims into an alley. So, the only thing we can really do is guard the alleys…but then Shin'en will most likely just move on to the next city. And then we'll have to start all over again! Although…we don't have anything that might help anyway…all we have is a preferred killing ground and a most likely fake name."

"How can someone kill twenty-five people, and still not leave a clue as to who they are?"

Ikari smiled wanly. "I was hoping you might have some idea of how that might happen…"

"Oh…well…I'm sorry to disappoint you…but…would the method of killing give any clue?"

"I doubt it…the way he kills is about as random as the people he kills. There's been 8 killed by a blade, 1 in a fire, 3 beaten to death, 2 strangled, 1 drowned, 9 had their throats torn out, and one had his head crushed by a rock. Shin'en seems to use whatever is closest to hand. Except for the fire, I don't know how he managed to have that with him…unless he smokes…"

"Or he was out hunting for people to kill." The chill realization swept over Ikari.

"Yes. He could've been out to kill, without a set victim in mind…" She shuddered. "Well, I think that's all I have to tell you. I need to go now, so…good-bye for now…" And she left the office, leaving Kenshin alone with the thought that all Shin'en wanted was to kill, not a specific person, but whoever was there when the opportunity came. _That means anyone could be next…_

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Okay…another chapter done…and I do realize that a lot of the logic does not make sense…but that's because I rarely make sense, and I'm trying to show that government officials don't make sense and that Shin'en is a psychotic MAN slayer. Get it?? Man slayer?? Slayer of men?? Okay…that was sad…please review!! I do so love hearing people's thoughts about how I can improve!


	6. He's a she?

Okay, just to let y'all know, my brain is temporarily a desert. The sand is covering all words and such that I would ordinarily use…and I just kinda finished a really stressing situation and a band concert is coming up…so that's why I'm in a bit of a bad mood and my writing will be kind of poor…I hope you can forgive me! Also…I'm kind of having writer's block…it took me like…5 hours to figure out what I was going to write for this one chapter…

Disclaimer: I do NOT own RK…although that would be awesome if I did…

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Ikari splashed cold water on her face, trying to wake up from the haze that had descended over her mind. She'd been completely unable to think of anything other than what Himura had come up with. _How did he come up with that??_ She dried off her face, and left the room she was renting. She had important things to do, and wondering was not one of them.

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Shin'en had been following Sanosuke, waiting for him to get in a place that would be safe for her to strike in. He had yet to venture from the safety of the public. And she couldn't go draw him into an alley, because he might recognize her. _No, that would be bad. _He was sure to make the connection that she was Shin'en. He was a fighter, and was known for some stupid acts, but she doubted he was stupid enough not to realize the girl about to kill him was Shin'en. And since she didn't know what he was capable of, or if she could beat him if he decided to fight back, she decided to surprise him. _It's better to be safe than sorry, after all…_

Shin'en also knew se had to strike soon, that was why she was following him. Soon she would have to leave this town, and go to the next, because soon her limit of five victims per town would be reached. She had set that limit because the police might find a link between the crimes, or a clue, or her identity if she got careless. So, she could not afford to kill too much in one spot.

Already, two men had fallen to her. Only three more to go, and she already knew two of them. One would be Sanosuke. The other, she regretted, would have to be Kenshin. She guessed that he would track her down once she killed Sanosuke, and she could not afford to have the Battousai on her tail. He would figure out who she was if he witnessed more than one town's murders. Then, she would be killed. She had no doubt about that. _But…to try to kill the Battousai is a risky move…but I can't just let that filthy Sanosuke wander about…_ So, she would have to take the risk, whether or not she wished to. And even if she did let Sanosuke off the hook…Himura was too close to figuring out who she was. _And if that ever happened…_ She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. That would be horrible. That would be the mistake of all mistakes! One that she would have no chance to learn from.

A hand suddenly reached out and pulled her into an alley.

"Heh…hey. You know what? I think I'll have some fun with you before I kill you…" Shin'en looked up at the man holding the knife to her throat. _This is odd…the tables seemed to be turned…what an odd way for a serial killer to die…_ The man's hand moved south. Her eye twitched and she kicked him in the groin.

"Bastard!" She hissed. "You'll pay for that!" She picked up the knife he had dropped in his sudden pain. _He's an amateur at this. I'll show him how to really kill someone._

"Wha-what are you…who are you?" He asked, terrified of the girl he had thought to be helpless.

"I'm Shin'en. You will be my third victim in Tokyo, twenty-sixth in all. You should be honored." She brought the knife down into his skull. He died instantly. She slit his throat to let the blood, her ink, out of his system. She dipped her fingers into the warm liquid, and began writing the name she used while killing.

"Shin'en!" She froze at the voice. It was a man's, someone she recognized. She couldn't risk turning around to see whom though. He might recognize her.

"Yes?" She was amazed at how calm her voice sounded. She wasn't necessarily panicking, but she wasn't completely calm either.

"I told the police I would hunt you down, and now I have." She heard knuckles crack. "Prepare to be beaten then turned over to the police!" She ran. She had nothing else she could do, and she heard the man following her. She had no idea where she was going, but her instincts told her to keep going, swerving, turning, evading, and hopefully losing the man after her. This was the closest she'd ever been to being caught. Except, she came closer when she ran into a dead end.

"Got you now, Shin'en. Why don't you turn around and fight? Or do you take all your victims by surprise?" She stood staring at the wall. If she turned around, she was sure he would tell the police what she looked like. That would be bad. _Oh so very bad…_ She took a deep breath. _There's got to be an answer somewhere around here…_ She looked at her right hand. It was still covered in blood. She realized she hadn't finished writing her name, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was the impending doom right behind her. She backed up.

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Sanosuke watched as Shin'en backed slowly towards him. _Why won't the bastard show his face?? He's caught! There's no good in hiding now!_ But Shin'en continued backing towards him, getting closer and closer. _What in the world is he trying to do anyway?_ Suddenly, he whipped around, and raced past. Sano only had time to realize three things. He had black hair. He had green eyes. And he, was a she.

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Okay!! Done a lot there!! I find that awesome. And writing this really helps make my stress go away too…that's just awesome. Like…really awesome. And there's only one chapter today ((My mind took forever to get started thinking of a plausible idea…and I don't think this one is too plausible, but it's better than Shin'en being transported to a world of genderless aliens))…so…review I guess…and stuff…


	7. Police bugging rooms

A new, edited version! It's still mostly the same. Just less typos and such. Also, some details may be different. And possibly more of them. PS, this writing was so bad, I only half knew what I was saying at any given moment and I have to continuously stop myself from dying of shame.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Manslayer- Chapter 7

"Are you sure? We don't want to point fingers at people and then be wrong, that we don't." Kenshin said, trying to calm Sanosuke down enough so that no unnecessary mistakes would be made. Saying that a police officer, one whose only job was to find and arrest a serial killer, was the same serial killer she was actively trying to track down was pretty serious. It also sounded quite farfetched, like a story a child would tell to get out of trouble.

"Yes! Ikari _is_ Shin'en! She's been faking this all along and will get away if we don't do something!"

"Maybe it's someone else? You did say it was dark, you could have easily mistaken who Shin'en was."

"No! It _was _Ikari! And it makes sense! How else can a serial killer get away with twenty-six murders and still be free?" Kenshin had to admit that made sense, and he really didn't want Shin'en to be free any longer. He killed too erratically; it was impossible to guess when the next killing would happen.

"Okay. We'll go ask. But just keep in mind that you might be wrong."

"I'm not wrong, and I'll prove it to you!"

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Ikari sighed and stretched. It was very uncomfortable to sit in the same position for hours and do police reports. They were boring, long, tedious, and they gave you a horrible crick in your neck. It was horrible. Luckily, she only had one more to go. She was glad, in a sarcastic way, that Shin'en killed more people, which forced her to write more reports, work longer hours, travel a lot, and be in danger of being killed. Of course, she doubted that Shin'en would kill her for not getting the murders official rather than because she knew too much. She did, after all, know more than anyone else in the police.

She turned her head to look at the camera that the police had put in her room to spy on her. When she found it, she colored the lens black so they could hear her talk, but not see her. That was fine with her, because that meant that no pervert would have even a slight chance of seeing her. _Well, you guys must be having so much fun listening to me write. It must be as fun as actually writing it! Except that they don't have to get a crick in their neck. Curse them._

She was startled out of her lengthy curse on the other police when someone knocked on the door.

"Whoever you are, come in. The door's unlocked."

Kenshin and Sanosuke came in and Ikari began wondering if it was better to be talking to people that were 'helping' her, or to be doing the police reports that were also supposed to 'help' her.

"What do you want?"

"Um, I was just wondering if you figured out who Shin'en is yet."

"Couldn't that wait untill I was on duty? But, no, I haven't."

"You're lying! **You** are Shin'en! That's why Shin'en has not been caught yet!"

Ikari raised one eyebrow. "And why on earth would I give myself more police reports to do?"

"Um, because you want to kill."

"Right. Is there any justified, sane reason as to why you're here?" She asked Kenshin as Sanosuke continued yelling about how Ikari was Shin'en.

"And that's why you're Shin'en!" Sanosuke concluded.

"I can understand why you would believe that." She turned back to her reports. "Many people have thought that." She began writing again.

"Isn't declaring your innocence more important than doing whatever the hell you're doing?"

"This is a police report. I'm still writing them from the recent two murders."

"There's three now."

"Oh, really?" She didn't sound too overly concerned or surprised.

"Yes! And **you** are the one that killed him!"

"You mean Shin'en killed him." She finished writing and placed the paper off to the side of her desk. "Himura, would you so kindly check that paper for errors? I fear I may have added part of your friend's rant in it."

Kenshin took the paper. It turned out it was not a police report, but rather a note to him. It read:

_Himura-_

_The police have a camera in here. The lens is colored black so they can't see, but they can still hear every word we say. I will meet you and your rather idiotic friend by the river at midnight. There, and only there, will I discuss who Shin'en may, or may not, be._

"It looks fine to me. But I didn't see any of the crime scenes, except for the pictures, so there may be an error or two in there that I didn't catch. But I saw none of Sano's rant." He gave Ikari back the repot. She looked at it and then put it upside down on the desk.

"Okay. And by the way, did you report the third victim to the police?"

"Yes."

"Good. That means that since I am not on duty, I have one less report to write. Well, they'll probably want me to be there, so I must be off. I trust you two will be leaving my room now too."

"Of course, good bye."

Kenshin left quickly, dragging the still-raving Sanosuke behind him.

Ikari walked to the door and smirked. Then she picked up the note to Himura, crumpled it up, and threw it away.

Then she looked confused. She looked around, wondering why she was standing up. She shrugged and sat back down. But as she was sitting down, she found a letter, somewhat hidden behind her desk. She picked it up and opened it. It read:

_Ikari-_

_I am Shin'en. I want to make it easier for you to piece everything together. Meet me by the river at midnight alone, and I'll help you._

Ikari looked at it in disbelief. She chewed her lip, and decided to do as he asked. After all, it'd be easy to sneak out alone. And it wasn't like she was meeting anyone.


	8. Strange confession strategy

New, edited version.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

Manslayer- Chapter 8

Ikari stood near the river, waiting. She wanted to catch Shin'en, and if he wanted to meet her, she'd be glad to catch him. Granted, it'd be hard. He was probably expecting her. But any information is helpful, and she needed more information.

She turned when she heard someone approach, and saw Kenshin Himura and Sanosuke Sagara. She looked confused and opened her mouth to tell them to go away, to leave, anything. But then the world went black.

_Self-preservation is above pride, right?_ Shin'en thought as she stared calmly at the river. _I know what must be done if I wish to continue this life…_

"So, Ikari, are you, or are you not, Shin'en?" Sanosuke asked impatiently.

Shin'en smiled. "I am Shin'en. However, I am not Ikari."

"You're lying! I know you are- wait, what?" Sanosuke asked, shocked and confused.

"I'm not Ikari, but I am Shin'en. It's a long, complicated story. And one that I don't really think you need to know." She smiled. Kenshin frowned. Something was up, and he wanted to know what. "But all that you really need to know is that I am Shin'en. I killed all of those men and purposely destroyed any evidence I later found pointing towards me. Is that not what you wanted to hear?"

"Well, it is, part of it, but why are you telling me so calmly? Why did you do it? How?"

"How? I hurt them until their body could no longer function."

"I know that. But how did you manage to arrive at the scene of the crime if you committed it? You were actively trying to figure out who Shin'en was!"

"Yes. Very convincing, wasn't I?" She laughed. "I left right after and came back using a more public road. Is that so amazing that you never thought of it? Of course, it was a bit hard to do. I had to time it just right, so that I would get back just after the victim died, and of course I had to hurt him enough that he couldn't be saved in the nick of time."

"Why?"

"Hm? Why I did it? It really makes no difference. But, I will tell you this. It is a very long, complicated story that I refuse to tell you." She thought for a minute. "Well, it's not that long of a story actually. Still, I have no wish to repeat it." She began circling around to Kenshin and Sanosuke. They walked away from her, and towards the river.

Sanosuke twitched angrily. Kenshin put his hand on his arm to stop him doing anything rash and continued Sanosuke's line of questions.

"How did you choose who should die and who shouldn't?"

"Easy. If the person nearest me was a man, he died. Simple as that."

"So, you killed men at random?" Kenshin asked, his own anger rising. _These men didn't do anything! _He thought.

"No. I waited until one of them acted like a sexist jerk. Then I led him into an alley and killed him." She laughed cruelly. "They thought they were going to get free sex!"

"Why would you do something like that?"

Shin'en was fingering something in her pocket. "You could say it was a bad past experience." She went back to staring silently at them, looking like she was planning something.

"I can't believe you!" Sanosuke shouted angrily. "**One **person hurts you, so you kill over twenty? What kind of an idiot are you?"

Shin'en's anger flared. "Who ever said one person hurt me? Who ever said it was me that they hurt? Who ever said it was a singular person they hurt? You presume too much, you filthy, stinking bastard!" Sanosuke was momentarily stunned by her choice of words in describing him. "Besides, they would have died anyway. Just because I killed them, it doesn't mean they died any worse than they would have otherwise." She looked them straight in the eye, and slowly walked towards them. "You were right. He did hurt me, or at least he was planning on it. But he also hurt many other women too."

"If he just tried to hurt you and failed, then why are you still killing people?" Sanosuke paused. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter. You're going to be going away soon, and no one will believe you anymore." Shin'en's eyes widened, and she suddenly seemed to be gone from this world.

_You're going to be going away soon, and no one will believe you…_


	9. A flashback of the first one

A new, edited version. I used too many commas, too many typos, too many ellipses (the "…"), and I changed my mind on the ending. Hope it's not too inconvenient.

Disclaimer: I own not Rurouni Kenshin.

Manslayer- Chapter 9

_You're going to be going away soon, and no one will believe you…_

The first man Shin'en had killed said that. Those same exact words. Shin'en froze in astonishment. Her mind was thrown back to that night, which seemed so long ago.

---Flash back---

"He got you too?" A young girl asked her friend.

The girl cried and managed to spit out, "Yes…"

"Ikari!! You need to get the police working on this!! He's raped ten girls!! Please, help before another of us is taken!!"

"I'll try my best…but…for some reason they're very reluctant to even acknowledge that this is happening…"

"They're corrupt, I tell you!"

"Maybe so…but…the police is the only group able to do anything…and I can't act without getting permission from the chief…" Ikari sighed. "I must be off though. Perhaps this is the day I finally wear him down…"

"Be careful. This bad-man is getting bolder every day. He may even go after you."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful." And Ikari turned and left the house for work, the psychologically tiring job of working for a corrupt police force.

---

It was late when Ikari got off her shift, always was, and she always walked home. It was pointless to use a carriage to get home; she knew the way by heart and nothing had ever happened on her way home. She was walking quietly, acutely aware of her own footsteps, and was deep in thought about how best to help the people of this town without her chief's consent. Suddenly, hands reached out from an alley and pulled her in. Her first reaction was to scream, but a hand was clamped firmly about her mouth.

She heard laughing, and turned her head to see a man in a mask pulling her closer to him.

"My next victim. The police woman who asks too many questions about me." He said in a quiet, muffled voice. Ikari began struggling then, but he easily tightened his grip and pulled her farther into the alley. As soon as he felt he was far enough, he pushed her against a wall and began to pull off her clothes.

Ikari struggled more, harder, and used all of her strength trying to get away. The man, who had let his ego get big after awhile, brought his masked face close to hers.

"There's no point in struggling, little girl. I have you now. And there's nothing you can do about it. You're going to be going away soon, and no one will believe you when you tell them of this, and the police will not help you. And who knows, perhaps I'll get you again!" Ikari's eyes widened, and she struggled more. Instead of pulling his head away from her, he went closer, until she could see into his eyes. He laughed as she struggled. Ikari suddenly got an arm free, and slashed at his neck with her fingernails. They connected, the man's eyes widened and he released her. He ran back, and fell down, where he bled to death from the open wound in his throat.

After he was still for five minutes, Ikari went closer and found he was dead. Her first reaction was to tell someone, but that voice was easily quelled. She decided to keep it quiet. There was nothing that could tie her to this crime; her clothes were not bloodied and she should already be home and in bed. There was nothing that pointed to her. She pulled on the clothes he had pulled off, not more than her shirt and jacket, and walked back to the body. She was about to leave when a thought struck her. She should take the credit for this. So, she dipped her hand in the spilt blood and wrote out her name. She instantly regretted writing her real name and erased it by pulling the body onto it so that blood ran over it, completely erasing it. She moved it back and started anew. She wrote the name 'Shin'en' and promptly left, taking an alternate route to her house. She fell asleep and rested easily, having already forgotten what had happened.


	10. The end is near

New, edited version.

Dispatch: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Manslayer- Chapter 10

Shin'en shook her head to bring herself back to the matters at hand, and laughed. "I'm not going to go anywhere."

Sanosuke looked at her like she was crazy. "Yes you are. To jail as soon as we tell the police!"

She smiled amusedly. "I'm not going to jail, and you're not going to tell the police about this."

"What are you, crazy? Of course we're going to tell the police! You've no right to get away with this! And I won't let you!"

"Oh, yes you are. You're going to help me."

"What? No I'm not!" Sano yelled back at Shin'en. Kenshin, however, detected a plan in her voice, and his mind was racing to figure it out. He suddenly realized that he and Sanosuke were trapped between Shin'en and the river. _But, that means that she could…_

Shin'en grinned sadistically. "Perhaps not by choice." She pulled her hand out of her pocket, along with what she had been fingering with, a gun with a silencer in it. "I don't normally use guns. It's kind of like cheating, but it seems I have no choice but to use it this time."

"What do you mean?" Sanosuke asked cautiously.

Shin'en smiled sweetly and raised the gun. "Say hello, twenty-seventh and –eighth victims." Kenshin jumped to the side and backwards, not quite sure who she would shoot at, and watched as a bullet went into Sanosuke's arm, just barely missing his chest.

"So, it seems I was right in not attempting to kill you back in the alley. It's just a shame you had to figure out who I was and pursue this even though all of the evidence pointed away from me."

"Why are you doing this?"

Shin'en's smile faded. "I really don't want you to know any more than you do now. I've explained enough to you as it is. You're going to die now, anyway, so I need not waste my breath on you."

"Won't the police wonder why we're dead when you're here?"

Shin'en laughed. "Oh, but no. Because when they come, dear little Ikari will be here, knocked unconscious by Shin'en and guilty that she couldn't save you two. And I'll be free to destroy more men!"

"You're insane!" Sanosuke yelled. Then he charged her, raised his arm to punch, and crumpled to the ground. The bullet wound in his head poured blood onto the ground.

"Looks like he forgot that I can move my arm and fire at the same time." Shin'en turned the gun back so it was aimed at Kenshin. "Good bye. But, you shall die knowing that these two deaths would not have happened if you had not decided to help." She fired the gun, and he fell back into the river.

"Only one thing left now. The police must never suspect me." Shin'en gripped the barrel of the gun and raised it over her right shoulder. She brought it down as hard as she could onto the pressure point and the gun fell out of her hand as she fell foreword onto the ground.


	11. Sir! She's alive!

New, edited version.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Manslayer- Chapter 11

The police officer wandered around the area, looking for some sort of cause for a gunshot a neighbor had heard, or proof there was one, when he stumbled across a scene near the river. His eyes widened as the realization of the importance of this scene came upon him, and he ran off to get the police chief.

The police chief whistled in astonishment when he saw the scene. The ground was slightly turned up, as if from a fight, there was blood soaked into the ground where Sanosuke had fallen, Ikari was lying face down, and Himura was nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like Shin'en may have finally decided to get rid of the cop on his tail," one of the police officers said, sadly shaking his head.

"Yes. Get the bodies out of here. Give 'em a proper burial."

"Yessir." The police put Sanosuke's body onto a stretcher, covered him with a cloth, and carried him off. Another policeman grabbed Ikari's body by her wrists and was about to put her onto a stretcher when he realized something. She still had a pulse. It was faint, he could barely feel it, but it was there.

"Sir! She's still got a pulse!"

"What? Get her to a doctor! We need to find out what happened!"

-

"She's lucky. Any worse and she'd probably be dead by now."

Ikari groaned, and moved a bit. Sharp pangs filled her body, and the source of the worst of it was her shoulder. She opened her eyes, and immediately snapped them shut, cursing the doctor for having such a bright light in her line of vision. She opened her eyes a bit and turned her head to see who was sitting next to her. She saw the police chief and a doctor anxiously looking at her.

"What…?" She asked drowsily. She tried to sit up, to get a better idea of where she was, but her shoulder instantly erupted into flames of pain, and she fell back down.

"Your shoulder was pretty much destroyed." The doctor explained. "It looks like a blunt object hit it very strongly, and dented it enough so that the tissue in it was destroyed. The bones nearest the wound were shattered, and the muscle is torn."

"What happened out there?" The police chief asked, angry and worried.

Ikari blinked slowly, remembering all that had happened.

"He got me…" She whispered. She shook with hardly contained sobs. "And Himura and Sagara, too." She looked down as tears fell from her eyes. "It was my fault. I should never have let them into the investigation. Minimized civilian participation. Something."

The police chief put his hand on her shoulders. "Listen, it wasn't your fault. You're not responsible for Shin'en's actions. Just calm down, and tell me what happened."

Ikari nodded. "Shin'en sent me a letter." She frantically searched her pockets, and then looked apologetically at the police chief. "He must have taken it. It said to meet at the river at midnight. I assume that's where you found me. Anyway, he said he wanted to talk. To…"help" me, I think it said. I assumed he wanted to rub his freedom in my face. I…he said he was going to," her face fell, "to make it easier for me to piece together everything. I thought he meant he wanted to brag about something I'd missed but…" she cried. "He meant he was going to give me a reason to focus more on it." Her shoulders shook, and she gasped as her injured one moved. She gulped and continued. "I went there and waited. Then Himura and Sagara came. I tried to tell them that they had to leave, and then…the world just went black. Now I'm here."

Ikari looked up at the police chief, her eyes sad and forlorn. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry, chief."


	12. And, he lives!

Okay! Here's another chapter for you people! And, after this I think I'm gonna take a break from fanfiction and put up my original fiction on fictionpress…and then, if I have any more story ideas, I'll come back…and write more death-psychotic-fics

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Really, I don't. Just ask my lawyer.

* * *

Kenshin slowly drifted towards consciousness. As he started feeling pain and hunger, he immediately turned his head and coughed up lots and LOTS of water. He groaned and looked at his surroundings. He was in a house, it seemed, but no one was around.

"I told you he still had water in his lungs." Kenshin jumped and turned around to find an elderly couple standing behind him.

"Where…am I?" Kenshin asked, trying desperately to figure out what all had happened.

"In our humble home, of course! We saw you washed up on shore, just an hour ago and decided to bring you in before you died of exposure or something of the like."

Kenshin pondered this as memories of what had happened in the past few hours came back to him. He remembered a bullet…and water. He guessed he had fallen into the river when he blocked the bullet with the sword…that had been hit back with the force and hit his head. That explained the bump on his head and the headache. He suddenly realized that Ikari was still alive, and still very able to continue on her killing spree.

"Which way is Tokyo from here?" Kenshin asked, standing up and beginning to move towards the door.

"It's twenty kilometers from here!"

Kenshin stopped. "Twenty miles?" _How far did I travel in that river?_

"Yes! There's no one you can go there now! You were JUST pulled out of a river, and you just woke up!"

Kenshin chewed the inside of his cheek as he thought over this. He shook his head. "I have to go now! There's a killer loose in Tokyo and if I don't get there soon, more people will die and Shin'en will never be caught!"

The couple's eyes widened. "Shin'en?" The wife asked sadly.

"Yes…Shin'en is preying upon Tokyo." Kenshin looked at her for a minute. "Was Shin'en once here too?"

"Yes. Shin'en killed our only son. Please, do all you can to bring justice!" She paused. "Do you know who it is? Please! If you do, spare us the misery of not knowing who killed our son!"

Kenshin debated telling them, and decided to tell them. It was their only son after all. "Shin'en is…Ikari Shinri." And then he left, running as quickly as he could to Tokyo.

* * *

Mmkay…I have…at least three more chapters…probably more though…yeah…and is there even a river running 20 kilometers away from Tokyo? 


	13. Confrontation

Okay, so, yes. There was a long hiatus. Mostly because I lost my love for fanfiction and turned to original stories. Also, I'm busy. So, here's a chapter. I probably will not be able to update again until mid-May or so (Might get another chapter in). Then, I plan on re-writing this entire fanfic (not really changing the story too much) just for my peace of mind. Also, I'm going to make them longer so I can feel okay about separating them into chapters. These are way to short to count.

Oh, and I changed a couple of the other chapters a bit. Numbers

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters in it.

Manslayer- Chapter 13

The police chief felt sorry for Ikari. The poor girl, having to go through all that. That's why he'd left her to take a nap, after she shared what had happened. Still, though, she was an officer. And she was on the Shin'en case. She had to know what they found, and the matter needed to be investigated. He nodded at her, and spoke softly.

"Sagara was found dead at the cene. Himura was not found at all. We're looking for him, so he might be alive. Or he might not."

Ikari shook her head. "He's dead. Shin'en wouldn't have let him live if he saw him. And since we were facing each other when I was knocked out, I think he saw Shin'en. So, I think he was killed, too."

She turned toward the doctor. "How long do I need to stay here?

"You can leave whenever you wish, but your shoulder will need to be checked every week or so, and it will take a long time to heal it."

Ikari nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I think that I'll do soon, then. I'll go down to the station and give my statement. It's probably best if this is dealt with as soon as possible."

The police chief nodded and helped her up. She leaned against him for a bit, then stood up straight. She took an unsteady step, then paused. She turned back to ask the chief where her gun and badge were.

Then the door slammed open.

Kenshin Himura stood in the doorway.

He was bruised and covered with small scratches. His hair was matted and tangled. He looked exhausted. And when his gaze fell on Ikari, his exhaustion turned into rage.

Kenshin raced forward, grabbed Ikari, and pushed her against a wall.

The police chief was shocked, but his training kicked in.

"What are you doing?" He yelled as he yanked Kenshin away from Ikari, who crumpled onto the floor.

"She's Shin'en! She killed all those people! She killed Sanosuke and nearly killed me!" Kenshin yelled back.

The chief froze. Kenshin took deep breaths, calming himself down. Ikari was helped up by the doctor and led back over to the bed.

"I think you need to explain, Himura. Also, I think that you're wrong. Shin'en knocked her unconscious. If she was Shin'en, how come she has a severely injured shoulder and was unconscious?"

Kenshin's mouth was agape. He stared at Ikari. "I don't know, sir. But I do know that she is Shin'en. Sanosuke saw her kill a man. He chased her and found out her identity. He was killed for it. She sent us a letter as Shin'en, telling us to meet her near the river. When we went there, she was there. She made no effort to hide her identity. She shot Sanosuke with her gun then fired at me. I avoided it by jumping into the river. I know for a fact Ikari is Shin'en."

Ikari was stunned into silence. She shook her head. "You're wrong, Himura. Sagara was wrong as well. I've never killed anyone. And, Shin'en knocked me out before you or Sagara were hurt. Maybe he even used my gun, I don't know. I was unconscious."

Kenshin turned on her. "If Shin'en really was there, why are you alive?"

"Maybe because he wants an audience. Maybe he wants someone to connect everything together. I don't know. I've never spoken or met him."

The police chief stepped between Kenshin and Ikari. "Enough! We'll sort this out at the station. Ikari, you should probably go home and rest." She nodded, and walked past Kenshin.

For a second, he caught her eye. As soon as he did, something in her gaze changed. Her eyes were smug and devious. The same thing he saw in her eyes when she confessed to be Shin'en. Then it was gone, replaced by the innocent, hard-working detective's gaze.

And then she was gone.


End file.
